On the Kings County Republican Party and Teddy Ghorra vs. Craig Eaton

New York State Supreme Court Judge Edgar Walker came down with his decision in the election law case concerning control of the Kings County Republican Party that was waged between forces loyal to Teddy Ghorra vs. forces loyal to Craig Eaton. And Ghorra won!

As many political observers had anticipated, Judge Walker threw out the election of Arnaldo Ferraro as chairperson and ordered a new convention which is to take place within 60 days of his order being filed.

That is what Judge Walker ordered. It is what he said in the 40-page decision that is really catching the attention of the political chatting class.
Judge Walker, in just one of many comments on the original convention called by Craig Eaton, said, “Given the number of irregularities that occurred in ruling on proxy votes, it is still highly probable that the Ghorra slate would have had more votes than the Ferraro slate but for the said irregularities and improper conduct on the part of the Committee in ruling on the validity of the proxies.” The Credentials Committee chaired by attorney Gene Berardelli was as required by party bylaws also appointed by Eaton.

Inasmuch as, for the past 10 months, around three quarters of the Brooklyn Republican Party district leaders and officers have been attending regularly called meetings by Ghorra, it seems clear that they had, on their own, rejected the outcome of the now tainted convention. In fact, Ghorra with his committee nominated candidates in most districts in Brooklyn and even provided State Senator Simcha Felder with an authorization to run on the Republican line.

As for the Eaton/Ferraro team and its followers, they will need to be very careful in any involvement they have in a future convention because a state Supreme Court judge has in a detailed 40-page ruling outlined with great specificity countless problems in the manner in which then County Chairperson Craig Eaton called and conducted a convention that elected the unpopular Arnaldo Ferraro chairperson, a chairperson so unpopular that few district leaders and party officers would even attend the rare meetings he called.

The apparent activation of an FBI investigation coordinated with the office of Southern District U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara into the relationship between contributors to the Clinton Family Foundation and the U.S. State Department could be a game-changer in the presidential race.

The investigation, which apparently has been going on for months, is uncovering questionable timing between large donations to the foundation and favorable decisions to individuals and groups by the State Department during the time Mrs. Clinton was secretary.

In order to prove the suspect timing a violation of law, many, many interviews need to take place and a great deal of research needs to be done, so no one should expect anything in the way of a conclusion before the election.

Regardless, the media is now on the trail and without doubt Mrs. Clinton will have a lot of explaining to do. And when you are in the hunt for the few remaining undecided votes and hoping to keep the many votes that are just leaning to you the last thing you need is Preet Bharara and the FBI breathing down your neck.